


The Ride

by bigboobedcanuck



Category: Friday Night Lights
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Male Friendship, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Sweet, Teen Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-01
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-25 07:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigboobedcanuck/pseuds/bigboobedcanuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt sees Julie with Tim and jumps to conclusions. </p><p>
  <i>Matt groaned. Rally Girl gossip mill. Great. “Look, I’m sorry. I just saw her getting out of your truck, and you’re…you know.”</i>
</p><p>
  <i>“No. What am I?”</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Tim keeps a straight face, but Matt can see the glint in his eye, and he can’t help laughing. “You know. Just shut up.”</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Reaching down, Riggins picks up Matt’s well-worn football. He’s supposed to bring it inside at night, but never does. No one steals it because everyone has their own football in Dillon. Tim tosses it to him. “Come on, QB. Let’s see ya get ten tires in a row.”</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ride

**Author's Note:**

> Importing my old fic from LJ. Spoilers to 112.

Matt Saracen never expected to be QB1. He figured even when Jason Steet graduated, someone else would show up in his place. Like, one day Matt would walk into the locker room and there he’d be, out of thin air — another shining, blinding star.

Matt also never expected Julie Taylor to like him back. Sure, he hoped she would, but the odds weren’t in his favour. Especially with Landry giving him advice. But Julie did like him back, and her lips taste like some kind of berry. One of the red ones.

*

Another thing that takes Matt Saracen by surprise is seeing Julie stepping out of Tim Riggins’s truck, looking flushed, and nervously tucking her hair behind her ear over and over, even though it won’t stay. She gives Tim a little wave, and he says something in return, and then Julie nods and smiles at him. Tim winks (it definitely looks like a wink, even through the glass) and steps on the gas.

Julie walks into the Alamo Freeze, stopping in her tracks when she sees Matt behind the counter. She tries to cover, and paints a smile on. “Hey! I thought you were doing some quarterback thing tonight.”

Matt doesn’t smile back. “Coach Barrick’s wife had to go to the hospital, so I picked up a shift.”

“Oh. I’m meeting my mom and dad. I was at the library.”

Is that what they’re calling it these days? Matt tries to say “Uh huh” in an accusing tone, but it just comes out sounding like a weird hiccup.

“Is she okay?”

“Who?”

Julie makes that face that she does when she thinks he’s being spacey. Her eyebrows go up, and her chin dips. “Mrs. Barrick.”

“Yeah, it’s kidney stones or whatever.”

“Are _you_ okay?”

“What were you doing with him?” There doesn’t seem to be a better way to ask, at least not that he can think of.

“Who? Tim?”

“Yeah.” Tim Riggins, Mr. I Can Have Any Girl In School, But I Choose To Steal Other People’s Girlfriends.

“He just gave me a ride.”

“Yeah, I bet.” The words are out before Matt can reconsider them.

Julie’s eyes go wide, and her head kind of wobbles back and forth as she makes this sound in her throat. “Wow.”

Coach and Mrs. Coach walk in right then, and Julie’s jaw clenches. She turns to them. “I want McDonald’s instead.”

Coach’s brow furrows in confusion, and Julie’s mother quickly glances back and forth between Matt and Julie. Matt’s cheeks redden, and he looks down at the counter.

“But you don’t like McDonald’s,” Coach says.

Julie’s mom claps her hands together. “Well I could really go for a Big Mac myself, so let’s head out. See you Matt!”

Julie stalks out, and Matt waves awkwardly at her parents. Coach blinks at him, like he just realized Matt was standing there. Matt turns around as the panic starts to flutter in his stomach. What just happened?

Carmen, the drive-through girl, leans against the back counter, twisting a straw over her finger. “That went well.”

Matt’s trying to formulate a good comeback when the drive-through beeps, and Carmen’s gone towards her register, laughter in her wake.

*

Matt almost calls Julie a hundred times later that night, but isn’t he the one who should be mad? Then it gets too late, and he knows Coach will bark down the line at him if he’s able to dial that final number.

At practice the next morning, he can barely look at Riggins, who seems to be in a good mood, when usually he’s at his surliest that early. They do tackling drills, and Matt makes it so he’s in the same group as Tim. Matt charges into him again and again, knocking him to the ground.

The whistle blows, and as Tim’s getting up, he drawls, “Someone had their fuckin’ Wheaties this morning.”

Matt kind of loses it then, ramming into Tim and laying him out flat on his back. Tim looks up at him in surprise, and as Matt thinks of Julie getting out of the truck, his arm pulls back.

“What the hell is this?” Coach’s voice is loud and gruff.

Before Matt can figure out an answer or unclench his fist, Riggins shoves him off and is on his feet. “Fucked if I know.” Coach gives him a look, and Riggins mumbles an apology for the language.

Matt stands up, feeling everyone’s eyes on him, especially Coach’s. “Matt. Is there a problem I don’t know about?”

He shakes his head. “No sir. I just got carried away. Sorry.”

Coach stares for a long moment before turning. “Wind sprints. Let’s go!”

Later in the locker room, Riggins asks what the fuck’s up. Matt slings his bag over his shoulder and tries to sound menacing (he’s QB1, he’s QB1). “Just stay away from Julie.”

Tim’s lips move, as if he’s sounding out words (which he might be, Matt thinks). “Huh?”

Matt pushes past him out the door, into the clamour of the hallway.

*

He and Julie ignore each other at lunch, and Matt isn’t sure who is madder. Landry peppers him with questions, and finally Matt leaves, muttering something about needing to study. He sits up on the empty bleachers and tries not to imagine Julie kissing Tim.

When he walks up his front steps after school, Matt hears his Grandma talking inside. She’s been pretty good lately, and as long as she’s laughing when she talks to herself, it’s okay. He drops his bag by the door. “Grandma? I’m home.”

Right then, he hears another voice, and follows it into the living room, disbelieving. But there indeed sits Tim Riggins. On Matt’s couch. Tim is shaking his head. “No, no, Sonny and Carly are no good for each other.”

Matt stands there for a good five seconds before Riggins looks over. “Hey, Saracen.”

“Now, Brenda, that was the girl for Sonny.” Grandma is going on like Matt’s not there.

“Oh yeah, she was cool. That chick was smokin’ hot.”

“What the…?” Matt feels uncomfortable and adrift like usual, but this time in his own living room.

“Matt! Hi, pumpkin.”

“What are — hi, Grandma — what are you doing here?”

Tim smiles lazily. “We’re just talking a little GH.”

“Well…stop it.”

“Oh, it’s back on! Poor Luke, with Laura going crazy again.” Matt’s grandmother peers intently at the screen.

Matt jerks his head towards the door, and Tim slowly gets up and follows him outside. Matt paces. “What do you want?”

“Saracen, you’re an idiot.”

“So, you came over here to tell me that?”

Tim watches him for an uncomfortably long time. “I came here to tell you that nothing happened with Julie. I mean, first off? She’s the fucking coach’s daughter, and I don’t have a death wish.”

“I don’t…it’s not like I—”

Riggins ignores him. “Second, I’m not into little sweet-16 virgins who’ll only end up clinging to me like…something. And last, I know she’s your girl.”

Matt wants to bring up Lyla, but knows better. Maybe Tim learned his lesson. “So what—”

“Some Arnett Mead assholes were passing through town and they stopped to hassle her.”

That’s all he says, and Matt waits for more as his heart starts to pound. “What did they do?” He should have been there.

“They were just being dicks, ragging her about Coach, getting in her face. So I politely asked them to be on their way, and gave her a ride. That’s it.”

Shame heats his face, and Matt feels vaguely nauseous. “I’ve got to…crap, she has dance rehearsal, and I think she was going shopping with her mom after.” He turns in a circle, unsure of where to go, just that he needs to move. “Damn it, I’m an idiot!”

Tim’s as unruffled as ever. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, man.”

Matt feels like pulling his hair out. “But you’re sure that she was okay. Those guys didn’t do anything, really. Right?”

“Right. Dude, she’s fine. I mean, except for being mad at you.”

“Wait. You heard she was mad at me?”

“Real mad from what Sheila Dempsey said.”

Matt groaned. Rally Girl gossip mill. Great. “Look, I’m sorry. I just saw her getting out of your truck, and you’re…you know.”

“No. What am I?”

Tim keeps a straight face, but Matt can see the glint in his eye, and he can’t help laughing. “You know. Just shut up.”

Reaching down, Riggins picks up Matt’s well-worn football. He’s supposed to bring it inside at night, but never does. No one steals it because everyone has their own football in Dillon. Tim tosses it to him. “Come on, QB. Let’s see ya get ten tires in a row.”

Grateful for the distraction, Matt starts throwing. He gets five in, and starts again. Tim stands by the tire, leaning against the tree. He lobs the ball back after each throw.

“So, you’re a big soap fan, huh, Riggins?”

Tim shrugs. “My mom was.”

Matt catches the ball and holds it for a second. “Where is she?”

“Where’s yours?”

“Oklahoma.”

“What’s she doing there?”

Crack. Whoring. Not raising her son. “I don’t know. Whatever.”

Tim peers at him intently, and for a second Matt feels like they have this connection, and Tim is going to open his mouth and let the truth spill out, but then the studied casualness is back. “Right.”

Matt remembers that he’s holding the ball, and arcs his arm back before letting it fly.

*

Julie and her mother get home way later than Matt thought they would. Mrs. Coach tells him that Julie can’t come to the phone, and why doesn’t he talk to her at school tomorrow, and have a good night, honey.

Matt waits until his Grandma is fast asleep before he rides his old bike over to the Taylor house. Kneeling on the would-be flowerbed (dirt with some coloured rocks) under Julie’s dark window, he taps, praying that he remembered right, even though he’s pretty sure Coach doesn’t have ruffled red curtains in his room.

It takes eight light knocks for the curtains to be drawn back. Julie doesn’t look happy to see him, but she lifts her window anyway and stands there. “What?” She’s whispering, and peeking over her shoulder.

“Julie, I’m a total idiot. Like, the stupidest guy ever. In history. On the planet earth.”

“No argument here.” Her arms are crossed over her chest, and if she were a cartoon, there’d be ice shooting from her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I just got jealous and…I don’t know. I have no idea why I would think what I thought. Please, you have to give me another chance.”

“I can’t believe you would think I’d what, go have sex with Tim Riggins?”

“I know, I’m an idiot. Seriously, _so_ retarded. Julie, please.” The thought that she may not forgive him is cold and solid in the pit of his stomach. He swallows hard. “Please.”

Her face softens, and just like that, she’s kneeling on the other side of the window, her hand reaching for his. “Okay, okay. Don’t freak out.”

“I’m not freaking out.” Total lie. He takes a breath and blows it out slowly while Julie waits.

“Just don’t jump to conclusions like that.”

“I know, I’m sorry. Look, those guys from Arnett Mead. Did they scare you?”

Her eyes flick away and back. “A little, I guess. But it’s no big deal. They were just being macho assholes.”

Matt wonders if Tim knows their names.

“Anyway, next time you think I’m having wild monkey sex with Tim Riggins, or any other boy for that matter, I can pretty much assure you that it’ll all be in your imagination.”

He nods, holding on tight to her hand. They both smile, and bump heads as they hug. Matt breathes her in, relief flooding through him. Julie pecks him on the lips as she pulls back. He’s about to kiss her again when a thought occurs. “Wait, wait. What do you mean you can ‘pretty much’ assure me that you won’t be having sex with another guy?”

She shrugs. “Well, if Zach Braff comes to town, you really can’t blame a girl.”

“Well…where does he go? Does he play football?”

Julie dissolves into giggles, and Matt realizes she must be talking about some actor or guy in a band. He laughs too, and then he kisses her. Her lips are soft, and when she opens her mouth just a bit, he tentatively slides his tongue over hers. She lets him, and her fingers start digging into his shoulders as their tongues stroke and explore.

They take a breath, and she pulls back, looking into his eyes. “You wanna come in?”

He tries to answer, but just makes a weird sound that makes him think of a sheep. Julie giggles again, and finally he gets out, “Your dad.”

“Well, we’ll just be real quiet. Wild monkey sex doesn’t have to be loud.”

“But…what?” Realization dawns. “You’re joking, right?”

“Yes, I’m joking. If you think I’d risk your life by having you in my bedroom at midnight, you’re stupider than I thought.”

“I should go.” Of course, his dick is so hard now that he can’t stand up.

“See you tomorrow, Matt.” She kisses him again, her lips lingering, and then she’s on her feet, reaching up to close the window. Her nipples stand out against her thin cotton tank top, and he nearly comes right then and there.

She waves before the curtains swish back into place, and Matt hobbles to his bike. The ride home feels like an eternity, and as he passes the abandoned park, he eyes the jungle gym. No one would see if he just ducked in there and—

He shakes his head and pedals faster. That’s just the headline he needs: QB1: Kiddie Pervert.

Back home, Grandma is sleeping soundly, and Matt practically trips over his pants trying to get them off as he closes his door behind him. He collapses on his bed and thinks of Julie, and when he’s done, he drifts away — dreaming already — not caring about his sticky hand. A little while later he wakes with a start, and sets his alarm for practice in the morning.

 

*

Two Fridays later, they crush Arnett Mead, 21-0. Julie kisses Matt on the field, even though Coach is right there. She just smiles and says her dad’ll have to get used to it, but Matt’s pretty sure he won’t.

On the way into the locker room, Tim slings his arm over Matt’s shoulders, and they laugh and sing and shout, their teammates surging around them.

 


End file.
